Lilly Ledbetter will speak to a women's group on Saturday, April 5 at 6 p.m. at the Marriott at 5 Tranquility Base in Huntsville. (File photo)

HUNTSVILLE, Alabama-- The woman at the center of the historic discrimination case that inspired the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Restoration Act will be the keynote speaker for the American Association of University Women's State of Alabama convention banquet tonight.

"This group that I'm speaking to tonight, I'll be praising them," Ledbetter said. "They were there and they jumped on board immediately. They've been with me every step of the way."

She said AAUW banded together to write letters, march, contacted senators and helped her with financial contributions during her case. She said she has since repaid the group for their efforts in her case by establishing a scholarship fund through which she helps raise money for the group.

The convention is held every two years, with the Huntsville Branch hosting in 2014. Lilly Ledbetter's keynote is open to the public and tickets are available here.

Ledbetter was born in a house with no running water or electricity in the small town of Possum Trot, Ala. She was one of the first women hired into management at the Gadsden Goodyear plant, and 19 later Lilly received an anonymous note revealing that she was making tens of thousands less per year than the men in her position. Devastated, she filed a sex discrimination case against Goodyear. Ultimately, her case was heard by the US Supreme Court, where she lost again: the court ruled that she should have filed suit within 180 days of her first unequal paycheck--despite the fact that she had no way of knowing that she was being paid unfairly all those years.

In a dramatic moment, Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg read her dissent from the bench, urging Lilly to fight back. The Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Restoration Act was the first piece of legislation signed into law by President Obama in 2009.

Ledbetter now spends her time traveling and speaking to women's groups about their rights and motivating them to stand up for equality and equal pay.

"It's an epidemic," Ledbetter said of pay inequality today. "It's not just a women's thing, it's a family thing. These women have husbands and children and have to provide for their families. "

Ledbetter said that women who have not earned equal pay are currently paying the price in poor retirement funds and 401K. She said setting up a system and making sure the pay is fair now can make retirement much better for the woman and her family later.

Ledbetter said her journey has opened her eyes to the lack of women in high places, from heads of businesses, to politics, even to first class on a plane flight.

She said she encourages women to get involved, especially in politics, to begin and to continue making positive strides in the right direction toward equality.

"I don't care if they're Democrat, Republican, or whatever," Ledbetter said. "Just get into politics. Learn the ropes. Start out in your city or county or your school board, and get involved. Until we get more women in politics or on boards, we will never have true equality."

Ledbetter spoke to UAH Colleges of business and Engineering, the Women's economic Development Council (WEDC), and ALA-WSL, a women's student leadership conference that was held with the AAUW convention Friday.

Ledbetter's keynote speech will take place at the Marriott in Huntsville, located at 5 Tranquility Base, near the U.S. Space and Rocket Center, at 6 p.m.